Expansion would put Londoners' health at risk, says GLA report

A NEW study into the impact of a third runway at Heathrow has found it would put the health of thousands of Londoners seriously at risk, the Standard has learned.

The aviation report, commissioned by Boris Johnson, also said expansion of the airport would blight the lives of communities living under the flightpath.

The Mayor has pledged £15,000 for legal action against the Government if it gives the go-ahead to expansion.

He has urged ministers to consider building an airport in the Thames Estuary instead, although the idea has been disowned by his own party.

The internal GLA report, a draft of which has been seen by the Standard, criticised the Government for playing down the likely impact of the runway.

It concluded the airport was already in breach of European Union air quality targets. The study also found that Heathrow would breach noise pollution limits with up to 50 per cent more flights over London, that nearby roads faced jams and local communities would lose housing and public facilities.

A spokesman for Mr Johnson said: "A third runway would not only have a devastating impact on the quality of life of thousands of Londoners but also have serious environmental implications for the capital.

"The Mayor is anxious to ensure that the concerns of Londoners whose environment would be affected by a further expansion of Heathrow are fully addressed and is strongly opposed to building of the third runway."

Mr Johnson is holding a People's Question Time on the future of Heathrow next week in Hillingdon and has invited the airport's owner BAA and government ministers.

The chapter in the Mayor's Aviation and Airport Policy Review on the health impact of expansion on thousands of Londoners claimed Heathrow "already exceeds the health-based EU air quality limit values". These state the annual mean level of nitrogen dioxide must not exceed 40 microgrammes per cubic metre in residential areas. The rise in flights from 480,000 to 702,000 a year would produce even more nitrogen dioxide emissions by the time the EU targets come into force next year.

"The area around Heathrow already has some of the poorest air quality in London," the study said. "It is unlikely that the area will meet the NO2 air quality limit by 2010 when the Government will then be in breach of its duties and will face financial penalties."

It added: "The proposed expansion places London's health at risk, a situation that has not been adequately considered." The air pollution would be made even worse by the increased traffic on surrounding roads. Expansion would also lead to a loss of at least 700 properties, 100 listed buildings, a school and about 255 hectares of greenbelt land.